Essex are currently engaged in their opening County Championship match of the season against Nottinghamshire at Chelmsford, the match having started on Wednesday.

On Sunday, the two sides meet in the National Cricket League with Essex looking to follow-up their impressive success in the opening match against Middlesex while their opponents will be heartened by their win over Durham whom they beat by four wickets with one ball of the match remaining.

Next week, Essex stage two matches against Zimbabwe who will be playing two Test matches against England this summer including one at Lord's.

The tourists also play six matches in the triangular tournament involving England and West Indies.

On Tuesday, May 9, Essex play Zimbabwe in a One-Day friendly at Chelmsford. The match will be 50 overs per side starting at 10.45am and entry prices are £10 for adults and £5 for juniors and seniors.

Tickets can be purchased in person in advance from the administration office by telephoning 01245 254010 or by e-mail at administration.essex@ccb.co.uk

Full name, address, daytime telephone number and credit card (not American Express) or debit card details should be included with the e-mail.

The county side follow up that game with a four-day friendly against the tourists, again at Chelmsford, and that fixture commences on Thursday, May 11.

Zimbabwe, on their first tour to this country, are captained by Andy Flower, who also fulfils the wicket-keeper's role but it is vice-captain Alistair Campbell who has been making the headlines recently.

In his country's recent tour to the Caribbean, he scored two centuries and in their first match in England, took 150 off the Hampshire bowlers albeit a weakened line-up that lacked Shane Warne.

The youngest member of the party is Tatenda Taibu, 16, who is the stand-by wicket-keeper while other players to watch out for are batsman Neil Johnson and bowlers Heath Streak and Henry Olonga.

The Tourists were dealt a blow on the eve of this tour when their coach Dave Houghton resigned to accept an offer to work for Sky Television but Zimbabwe moved quickly to replace him appointing former Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson on a temporary basis for the first seven weeks of their trip to England.

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